1,215 research outputs found
Effect of continuous gamma-ray exposure on performance of learned tasks and effect of subsequent fractionated exposures on blood-forming tissue
Sixteen monkeys trained to perform continuous and discrete-avoidance and fixed-ratio tasks with visual and auditory cues were performance-tested before, during, and after 10-day gamma-ray exposures totaling 0, 500, 750, and 1000 rads. Approximately 14 months after the performance-test exposures, surviving animals were exposed to 100-rad gamma-ray fractions at 56-day intervals to observe injury and recovery patterns of blood-forming tissues. The fixed-ratio, food-reward task performance showed a transient decline in all dose groups within 24 hours of the start of gamma-ray exposure, followed by recovery to normal food-consumption levels within 48 to 72 hours. Avoidance tasks were performed successfully by all groups during the 10-day exposure, but reaction times of the two higher dose-rate groups in which animals received 3 and 4 rads per hour or total doses of 750 and 1000 rads, respectively, were somewhat slower
Evaluating the role of a galanin enhancer genotype on a range of metabolic, depressive and addictive phenotypes
Funded by •ERC. Grant Number: 284167 •NIH. Grant Number: 1RO1DK0921127-01 •NWO. Grant Numbers: 463-06-001, 451-04-034Peer reviewedPublisher PD
First-principle study of excitonic self-trapping in diamond
We present a first-principles study of excitonic self-trapping in diamond.
Our calculation provides evidence for self-trapping of the 1s core exciton and
gives a coherent interpretation of recent experimental X-ray absorption and
emission data. Self-trapping does not occur in the case of a single valence
exciton. We predict, however, that self-trapping should occur in the case of a
valence biexciton. This process is accompanied by a large local relaxation of
the lattice which could be observed experimentally.Comment: 12 pages, RevTex file, 3 Postscript figure
Sex Ideologies in China: Examining Interprovince Differences
In recent decades, premarital sex, extramarital sex, and homosexuality have become increasingly visible in China, leading scholars to claim that a national “sex revolution” is under way. However, China’s internal sociocultural diversity calls this nation-level generalization into question. How do sex ideologies vary across China’s distinct provinces? To what extent are inter-province variations in sex ideologies associated with distinct macro- level social factors in China? In this research, data from the 2010 China General Social Survey and the 2011 Chinese Statistics Yearbook were analyzed using multilevel models to test four contending theories of inter-province differences in sex ideologies in China: modernization, Westernization, deindustrialization, and the “rice theory.” The modernization theory was unsupported by the results, as socioeconomic development is not significantly associated with sex ideologies. Higher levels of deindustrialization and Westernization were associated with less traditional sex ideologies, but the strength of association varied across the domains of premarital sex, extramarital sex, and homosexuality. The rice theory was consistently supported, as the distinction between rice and wheat agriculture explained up to 30% of the province-level variance in sex ideologies. The findings underline the roles of both long-standing geographic differences and recent social changes in shaping China’s ideational landscape of sex
Magnetic-field-induced reduction of the exciton polarization splitting in InAs quantum dots
By the application of an in-plane magnetic field, we demonstrate control of
the fine structure polarisation splitting of the exciton emission lines in
individual InAs quantum dots. The selection of quantum dots with certain
barrier composition and confinement energies is found to determine the magnetic
field dependent increase or decrease of the separation of the bright exciton
emission lines, and has enabled the splitting to be tuned to zero within the
resolution of our experiments. Observed behaviour allows us to determine
g-factors and exchange splittings for different types of dots.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Imaging Fractal Conductance Fluctuations and Scarred Wave Functions in a Quantum Billiard
We present scanning-probe images and magnetic-field plots which reveal
fractal conductance fluctuations in a quantum billiard. The quantum billiard is
drawn and tuned using erasable electrostatic lithography, where the scanning
probe draws patterns of surface charge in the same environment used for
measurements. A periodicity in magnetic field, which is observed in both the
images and plots, suggests the presence of classical orbits. Subsequent
high-pass filtered high-resolution images resemble the predicted probability
density of scarred wave functions, which describe the classical orbits.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures To be published in PR
Electric-field-induced coherent coupling of the exciton states in a single quantum dot
The signature of coherent coupling between two quantum states is an
anticrossing in their energies as one is swept through the other. In single
semiconductor quantum dots containing an electron-hole pair the eigenstates
form a two-level system that can be used to demonstrate quantum effects in the
solid state, but in all previous work these states were independent. Here we
describe a technique to control the energetic splitting of these states using a
vertical electric field, facilitating the observation of coherent coupling
between them. Near the minimum splitting the eigenstates rotate in the plane of
the sample, being orientated at 45{\deg} when the splitting is smallest. Using
this system we show direct control over the exciton states in one quantum dot,
leading to the generation of entangled photon pairs
Genome-wide association study of phenotypes measuring progression from first cocaine or opioid use to dependence reveals novel risk genes
AIM: Substance use disorders (SUD) result in substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. Opioids, and to a lesser extent cocaine, contribute to a large percentage of this health burden. Despite their high heritability, few genetic risk loci have been identified for either opioid or cocaine dependence (OD or CD, respectively). A genome-wide association study of OD and CD related phenotypes reflecting the time between first self-reported use of these substances and a first DSM-IV dependence diagnosis was conducted.
METHODS: Cox proportional hazards regression in a discovery sample of 6,188 African-Americans (AAs) and 6,835 European-Americans (EAs) participants in a genetic study of multiple substance dependence phenotypes were used to test for association between genetic variants and these outcomes. The top findings were tested for replication in two independent cohorts.
RESULTS: In the discovery sample, three independent regions containing variants associated with time to dependence at
CONCLUSIONS: Although the two GWS variants are not in genes with obvious links to SUD biology and have modest effect sizes, they are statistically robust and show evidence for association in independent samples. These results may point to novel pathways contributing to disease progression and highlight the utility of related phenotypes to better understand the genetics of SUDs
Finding a moral homeground: appropriately critical religious education and transmission of spiritual values
Values-inspired issues remain an important part of the British school curriculum. Avoiding moral relativism while fostering enthusiasm for spiritual values and applying them to non-curricular learning such as school ethos or children's home lives are challenges where spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development might benefit from leadership by critical religious education (RE). Whether the school's model of spirituality is that of an individual spiritual tradition (schools of a particular religious character) or universal pluralistic religiosity (schools of plural religious character), the pedagogy of RE thought capable of leading SMSC development would be the dialogical approach with examples of successful implementation described by Gates, Ipgrave and Skeie. Marton's phenomenography, is thought to provide a valuable framework to allow the teacher to be appropriately critical in the transmission of spiritual values in schools of a particular religious character as evidenced by Hella's work in Lutheran schools
Anisotropic interactions of a single spin and dark-spin spectroscopy in diamond
The nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) center in diamond is a promising atomic-scale
system for solid-state quantum information processing. Its spin-dependent
photoluminescence has enabled sensitive measurements on single N-V centers,
such as: electron spin resonance, Rabi oscillations, single-shot spin readout
and two-qubit operations with a nearby 13C nuclear spin. Furthermore, room
temperature spin coherence times as long as 58 microseconds have been reported
for N-V center ensembles. Here, we have developed an angle-resolved
magneto-photoluminescence microscopy apparatus to investigate the anisotropic
electron spin interactions of single N-V centers at room temperature. We
observe negative peaks in the photoluminescence as a function of both magnetic
field magnitude and angle that are explained by coherent spin precession and
anisotropic relaxation at spin level anti-crossings. In addition, precise field
alignment unmasks the resonant coupling to neighboring dark nitrogen spins that
are not otherwise detected by photoluminescence. The latter results demonstrate
a means of investigating small numbers of dark spins via a single bright spin
under ambient conditions.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
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